“Mr. Brīviņš' Journey” in Skrīveri

On September 16 at 6:00 PM, at the Skrīveri Cultural Center, Andreja Upīša Street 1, a performance titled “Mr. Brīviņš' Journey” will take place, marking the 80th anniversary of the novel “The Green Earth.” The first chapter of the novel will be performed by actor Gundars Āboliņš and musician Guntars Freibergs, accompanied by a digitized slide collection created by photographer Gunārs Janaitis in 1981.

The novel “The Green Earth” (1945) is Andrejs Upīts' most translated and one of the most widely republished works in Latvian literature. The author himself reportedly claimed that no tombstone was needed for him, as his life's work – the novel “The Green Earth” – was his monument.

“Depending on the context of the era, the novel has been called a “triumph of Soviet literature” and later referred to as “the only work of socialist realism that will not be forgotten in history's shadow.” The novel has been criticized for its ideological stances and admired for its breadth, unusual language, and rich cultural-historical detail. Generations of students have been apprehensive about the novel over the decades. Despite marginal opinions, “The Green Earth” remains an indisputable classic of Latvian literature,” says literary scholar Arnis Koroševskis, the chief specialist at the Andrejs Upīts Memorial Museum.

“Andrejs Upīts' novel “The Green Earth” was once included in the mandatory Latvian literature list in educational institutions, and it is precisely the first chapter of the novel, which describes Mr. Brīviņš' journey through the Dīvaja parish over more than 35 pages, that is still cited as the greatest stumbling block in reading the work. Therefore, to mark the 80th anniversary of the novel “The Green Earth,” we invite you to a repeat performance at the Skrīveri Cultural Center, which was first presented at the Andrejs Upīts Memorial Museum in Riga on June 8 this year – Mr. Brīviņš' journey read by actor Gundars Āboliņš, with the participation of musician Guntars Freibergs, accompanied by a digitized slide collection created by photographer Gunārs Janaitis in 1981. In Skrīveri, you can still see the roads described in the novel's pages, fields familiar with Upīts' words, buildings that carry memories, and people in whose blood the prototype stories flow. This place lives, grows, changes – and with it, our perspective on “The Green Earth” changes,” says museum director Ilze Puķe.

Gundars Āboliņš is a beloved theater and film actor with many years of experience, having created the literary program series “Radio Little Reading Room.” Gundars Āboliņš was born in Riga, to the family of actors Vera Singajevska and Tālivalds Āboliņš. He studied at the People's Film Actor Studio, studied acting at the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian State Conservatory in the Dailes Theater's 7th Studio, worked at the Youth Theater led by Ādolfs Šapiro, later returning to the Dailes Theater, and since 2000, he has been with the New Riga Theater. He was a resident actor at the Munich Theater “Münchner Kammerspiele” for three years. Gundars Āboliņš is also an actor of many outstanding film roles, and he has translated several books from Russian and German. He has received the “Spēlmaņu nakts” award several times, including as Actor of the Year in 2006. He has been honored with the Harijs Liepiņš and Žanis Katlaps awards. In 2008, he was awarded the Order of the Three Stars, IV Class.

Guntars Freibergs, after successful participation in the Moscow International TV competition “Nutcracker,” studied at the Moscow Central Music School in Mark Pekarsky's class. From 2007 to 2011, he studied at the Strasbourg Conservatory of Music, earning a master's degree at the Anton Bruckner University in Linz in 2014. He has participated in masterclasses with percussion masters such as Keiko Abe, Momoko Kamiya, Bogdan Băcanu, Peter Sadlo, and further honed his skills at the Salzburg Mozarteum Summer Academy and the Villecroze Academy in France. Guntars Freibergs has achieved success in numerous international competitions in Estonia, Lithuania, Russia, Italy, Bulgaria, and Austria. As a soloist, he has performed with the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra, chamber orchestra Sinfonietta Rīga, Lithuanian National Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra, South Bohemian Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra, and others. He has been nominated several times for the Great Music Award in various categories, winning it in 2022 for outstanding performance throughout the year.

Free entry.